Elastic suspension for vehicles and other bodies in motion



F. L. BROUSSOUSE AND P. J. LEBOUCHER.

ELASTIC SUSPENSION FOR VEHICLES AND OTHER BODIES IN MOTION.

' APPLICATION FILED FEB. I7, 1920.

IAQ-U, Patented Aug. 22, 1922. 1F Ig. I

9@ 9 I I S NETE@ STATES.

FEBNAND LOUIS BROUSSOUSE AND PAUL JULES LEBOU'CHER, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

ELASTIC SUSPENSION FOR VEHICLES AND OTHER BODES IN MOTON.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug.. 22, 1922,

.application le'd February 17, 1920. Serial No. 359,287.

T 0 all whom 'it may concern.'

Be it known that we, FERNAND Louis BRoUssoUSn, a citizen of the French Republic, residing at Rue Sainte Anne, Paris, F rance, and PAUL lunas Lnnouounn, a. citizen of the French Republic, residing at 19 Rue Theodore de Banville, Paris, France, have invented certain new and usefullm provements in and Relating to an Elastic Suspension for Vehicles and Other Bodies in Motion, of which the following is a specification.

T he invention relates to elastic suspension devices for vehicles or other moving bodies, and has for its object to provide an elastic suspension device of novel construction and possessing the following advantages Great stability of the body in motion, easiness of rolling or gliding, and consequently a less variation of strain at the point of' contact of suspension.

Said results are obtained by a combination of springs or equivalent elastic systems, arranged in order to obtain a great flexibility in the middle part of the suspension and a flexibility decreasing in a progressive and continued manner in proportion as' one is displacing in one direction or the other away from that middle part.

ln the accompanying drawings which show, by' way of example, constructional forms of the invention:

Figure l is 'a diagram of the graphical representation of the operation. ot the elastic suspension forming the subject of the present invention.

Figures 2 and 23 show by way ci example, two examples which practi ally embody the device.

In the diagram of Figure l, the lisplacements are indicated by (UX), and the corresponding` loads or strains by (0g/(l. The total amplitude ot flexion is As the origin (l, that is to without any external load or strain, and consequently without any resulting deflection 'for the whole, a main spring with a constant 'flexibility, the characteristic of which is (boils balanced by an opposing spring 'it'h de; creasing flexibility the characteristic or which is (ed).

Then: @bzUc second spring with decrees' ity {fg} is 'n the without any strain at (Uy) and in such a manner that:

The result is that the sum of the ordinates o f each spring constitutes a particular continued curve oi:ri flexibility, shown at a, which gives to the whole elastic system the follow ing special properties.

(2L-. dynamic capacity nearly equal to that of a single spring with constant flexibility, the supposed characteristic of which (0n) would have the same extreme points as the curve a.

5.911 both sides of the middle position of load or strain m, the flexibility progressively decreases and in ay continued manner with the amplitude of displacement.

rlhose properties provide the suspension with the above mentioned advantages.

A practical embodiment for the. suspension of a vehicle is shown in Figure 2.

Referring to said gure: The frame 4 rests on the axle 5 througha stirrup 6 carrying two similar elastic means 7, 8, each having the characteristics and properties corresponding to the diagram of Figure 1.

Since both means are alike it will suffice to describe one. Secured to the underside of the frame 4 is a member la having' two concentric annular flange forming' seats 4 and Llc. The stirrup 6 is provided with atubular member 6 open at the bottom and provided with an aperture in-its top. The tubular member projects above and below the stirrup and lthe part above the stirrup is surrounded by an annular flange on the upper face of the stirrup and forming a seat 6b. The main spring 9 rests in the seats lb and hij and the opposing spring l0 rests upon the i'yubnlar member and in the scat i-C. A bolt l2 has its head ll swivelcd in the member Ga and exten through the springs 9 and l0 ino the ber G and is provided with nuts l thereon. @n the bolt within the tubular member is a washer 12b and upon l between the washer and the closed e tubular member is mounted :osing spring ll. rThe springs f1 each -formed ot a strip of steve" l in shape rolled up to mal e coils of which are of The frame 4 oscillates, in relation to the axle 5, according to a curve of flexibility similar to the curve a (Fig. 1) and the amplitude of displacements is limited, on the one hand by the complete compression of the spring 10, .and on the other hand, by the complete compression of the spring 11.

Another arrangement designed for pantographs supplying electric current from aerial lines is shown in Figure 3,.

On that figure, the rubber 14 has to collect electric current from the line 15, which are approximately straight and horizontal, and which offers hard points irregularly distributed.

The said rubber is carried by an articu- Llated parallelogram 16 having the main elastic system, a spring or compressed air, not shown on the drawing, but the vertical action of which vtakes place in the direction of arro'vs7 17, with the required pressure for the convenient passage of current at the point of contact.

Opposing springs with progressive flexibility 18-19, 20-21, connect the rubber to the parallelogram 16 through a side lever 22.

It is, besides, quite evident that Ythose embodiments have been given only by way of example, and that the invention is applicable to the elastic suspension of any body in I motion.

What we claim 1s:

1. In a suspension device, the combination with a frame, of a stirrup supported at its center below the frame and having an apertured tubular member at each end, and a spring device between the frame and each end of the stirrup each spring device including two volute springs, the coils of which are of dierent heights, one spring being arranged with its base in engagement with the frame and its apex in engagement with the tubular member of the stirrup and the other in the said tubular member with its base in engagement therewith, and a bolt carried by the frame and extending through the springs and the tubular member and provided with a nut onits lower end,

2. In a suspension device, the combination with a frame, an axle and a member on the axle, of a spring device between the member and the frame on each side of the axle, each spring device-having a main spring and two opposed auxiliary volutey springs, the coils of which are of different heights, the main spring and one auxiliary being between the member and frame and the other below the member and connected with the frame.

3. In a suspension device, the combination with a frame and a member carried-by the axle of a' main spring between the frame and member, an auxiliary spring Within the main spring between the frame and member, the auxiliary spring being formed of a steel strip trapezoidal in shape Aand rolled up to form a volute spring, the coils of which are of different heights, a swiveled bolt carried by the frame and extending through the said member and providedl with anut, and a second auxiliary spring between the member and the nut of the bolt.

4. In a suspension device, the combination of a frame having concentric seats on its under side, a stirrup carried by the axle and provided with a tubular member open at the bottom and having an aperture in the top and with an annular seat on its upper face, a main spring seated in a seat of the frame and the seat of the stirrup, an auxiliary volute spring seated in a seat in the frame and resting onthe tubular member, a swiveled boltl carried by the frame and extending into the tubular member and provided with a nut, and a second auxiliary volute spring in the tubular member between the closed end thereof'and the nut of the bolt, the'coils of the volute springs being of different heights.

In testimonyv whereof we have hereunto set our hands at Paris (France), this 29 day of January, 1920.

FERNAND LOUIS BROUSSOUSE. PAUL JULES LIEBOUCHER. 

